NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
7 STRATEGIES TO MINISTER TO A CHANGING CONGREGATION
MANAGING TRANSITIONS IN MINISTRY AND LEADERSHIP
#M3S provides digital media services for faith-based leaders and organizations. We believe your brand is more than just a great design. We work with you to understand your target market and create content that will help engage your community.
Website Design
Logo Design
Social Media Templates
Marketing and Brand Strategy
Schedule a consultation with one of our design consultants today!
CONTENTS 12 Men After God's Heart Rev. Issac Hayes, MDiv
16 Serve Receive Janiel E. Youngblood, CPA
19 Rethinking Innovation and Technology RJ Stevenson
4 Editor's Letter 5 Economic Empowerment Think Tank 6 Navigating Change in Ministry and Leadership 10 TAKE TEN: Dr. Justin Shamell 11 Goal Setting to Create Ministry That Impacts 15 Hospitality Rules: How to be a Great (Virtual) Panelist 22 Practicing Self Care 25 7 Strategies to Minister to Changing Congregations 28 Home for the Holidays
Welcome to the Rethinking Church Strategies team as the Ministry Matters Magazine Associate Editor, Yasika Bigham!
EDITOR'S LETTER Many of our churches and ministries are in a season of transition. Not only are the people we serve changing, but the models of leadership and those within our leadership ranks are changing. In this issue, we share strategies to help you navigate the changes you may face. Rethinking Church is also in the midst of a transition. When the organization was established in 2020, it was based on the virtual summit we had curated to share resources to help faith-based leaders navigate ministry during the pandemic. However, hosting events at a cost that is not a barrier for leaders has not been profitable for our organization. I am still committed to providing these resources, but I had to take a step back to evaluate the landscape of our organization before charting a course for us to move forward. How frustrating! I am a go-getter, and I like to move on ideas fast, but as the African Proverb says, if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. I am incredibly proud of the team we are building and look forward to the projects we will produce in the coming years. I am eternally grateful to each of you for supporting our organization and the work that we have produced thus far. We hope you will continue to support us by sharing the magazine, advertising your upcoming events in our magazine, subscribing to the #RethinkTV channel when we launch in January, and advertising your products and services on the channel. Stay tuned… the best is yet to come!
Rev. LaKesha Womack Order the Theology Nerds #ContextMatters tee for $25 (free shipping) 04 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Economic Empowerment Think Tank
One of the many successes from the 2020 Rethinking Church Virtual Summit was the launch of the Economic Empowerment Think Tank, led by Chuck Williams, with a team of faith-based leaders who have been meeting monthly for the past two years. According to Britannica, a think tank is a group organized for interdisciplinary research to provide advice on a diverse range of policy issues and products through specialized knowledge and the activation of networks. This group embodies the definition of a think tank. As a result of their meetings and discussions, several projects have been identified for the group to work on and develop best practices that will be shared with the Rethinking Church community moving forward. If you are interested in learning more, an email will be sent to everyone on our email list with information detailing how you can get involved.
05 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Navigating Change in Ministry and Leadership By Rev. LaKesha Womack, Church Growth Consultant I remember sitting in my grandparent's small country church singing hymns while old men kneeled and prayed to God as if Jesus was coming back that night. I remember the mothers of the church in their big hats swaying with the choir and shouting Amen while the Pastor sweated out his dress shirt. Shortly before the benediction, but after the offering had been collected, the women would quietly leave for the kitchen to put on an apron and serve the guests a meal that featured the tastiest foods the kitchen committee could prepare, each bringing their signature dish or dessert. Those were the good old days for me, and I would be lying if I said I didn't miss them. I miss the simplicity of church, whether real or imagined. As a young child, I hated going to church. I felt like it was a waste of time to sit around and worship a God that I couldn't see. However, as I got older, I began to long for my grandparents' faith, which assured them that no matter what they may face Monday through Saturday, everything was going to be okay on Sunday. The days of old have passed away, and we must recognize and accept that the church has and continues to change. Not only are the communities around our buildings changing, but the people within the church are also changing. Their needs, lifestyles, understanding of scripture, and expectations of their leadership are changing. It can be tempting to deny this change or to blame the people for the changes with a focus on bringing them back in time with us, but that temptation must be avoided if we want to survive. 06 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Navigating the changing landscape of ministry and leadership can be difficult for faith-based leaders because you are tasked with letting go of your ideas of the past and helping your leadership, who will need to help the congregation, also let go. That's a lot of releasing, and it can become confusing without a clear vision of what's next. I believe this is one of the many reasons it has been easier for leaders to hold on to the past than to chart a course forward. I don't believe churches want to suffer from declining members and anemic ministries, but it can be hard to develop a clear path forward when you are overwhelmed by the process. Yes, resources are available in books, webinars, and conferences, but they often provide generalized information that does not fit your context. These resources give us hope because we can see that it is possible, but the question remains, "How?" How do you, as the leader, identify what needs to stay, what needs to go, and what needs to change? How do you get your leadership on board with this change? Most importantly, how do you get your membership to agree without losing too many along the way? That is a lot of work, and it is not easy work. Leading change can challenge even the most skilled leaders because there is always more to consider - more people, more factors, and more scenarios. It can make you want to take a nap before you get started. Do not fret! There is a light at the end of this tunnel. When you want to go to a restaurant you have never patronized, you don't get in your car and start driving. You confirm that it is the location you want to dine at, and you look up the address for directions to get you from where you are to the location, taking note of the time and planning your journey.
A similar process is needed when moving an organization in a new direction. We don't wake up and say, let's move in a different direction without considering the details of moving from where we are to where we want to go. One of the mistakes that many leaders make is creating their vision in a vacuum. Yes, you are the leader. Yes, the buck stops with you. However! You need a team to journey with and help with the implementation, so having their input is critical. They will not only help you to see things from different perspectives, but they will also ask clarifying questions that may help to crystalize the vision. One of the changes that I have seen in church leadership is a move away from male-centered,
Nothing grows without changing. hierarchical leadership. People, young and old, male, female, and non-binary, want to have a voice in the organization they are expected to support financially. This makes some traditional leaders uneasy because it feels like they are conceding power. That is the worst perspective to take. Instead, consider yourself like King Author of the Knights of the Roundtable. You have a team of knights ready to follow you into battle, but they want to be a part of the battle planning. They trust your vision and leadership because they are at the table, but they want to ensure the team isn't headed into a slaughter. If you want to attract more people to your ministry, you should be
07 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
willing to hear from people within the communities you want to serve. How do you know the needs of the homeless if they aren't at the table? How do you develop a thriving youth ministry if you aren't engaging young people? Often when leaders insist upon being at the top, they find themselves standing alone and confused because all of the people who were nodding their heads in the meeting are nowhere to be found when the battle begins. Having your team agree with you and having them buy into your vision is different. People will agree so that the meeting will end faster, to get you to stop talking or to move on to something they would prefer to talk about. If you make a suggestion and don't get questions or pushback from anyone in the room, they may not be bought in. When you create a culture where all voices have value, with the understanding that you will make the final decision, your team is more likely to share potential landmines before the battle begins because they plan to be in the fight with, not standing on the sidelines waiting for you to explode. As you and your team are working on the vision of your future, don't forget to consider factors outside of the church. What is the city's strategic plan? What are the economists saying about the next five to ten years? What are the jobs and technologies of the future? There is no way so many churches should have been unprepared for digital ministry if they had been paying attention to societal trends. All signs pointed toward hybrid and digital ministry while many churches were fighting, even considering something different. If we can be honest, many of our vision statements are current statements. They are not challenging. They rarely require us to do anything different—hard truth.
Your vision statement should consider the next generation of members and the world they will live in and need ministering. What do you perceive their challenges will be? How will you begin preparing today (through your mission statement) to meet what will come? Don't worry; you don't have to do it all immediately. Focus on the low-hanging fruit, the easy wins that will show your group that making changes is not as scary as they may have imagined. From there, you can move toward bigger initiatives with more people onboard. Finally, you should get input from your stakeholders and other community leaders. What are their views of your church and its ministries? How would they like to work with you? Too often, we relegate our supporters to financial contributors without considering the relationships that can bring access to resources we can use to minister to our congregations and communities. Taking an inventory of our resources will give us a clearer idea of what we can accomplish and what we need to acquire. Let's work smarter together than working harder in a silo. Navigating change is hard work, but it is not impossible. 1. Identify what needs to change. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Be specific about what isn't working. 2. Work with your leaders to understand why the change is necessary and where to start. 3. Be strategic as you identify your immediate, short-term, and long-term goals. You don't have to accomplish everything right now. 4. Use questions as an opportunity to crystalize the vision. 5. Include your stakeholders to increase your capacity LaKesha Womack is a Consultant with Womack Consulting Group and the Founder of Rethinking Church Strategies.
09 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Take Ten
Dr. Justin Shamell Director of Recruiting, United Theological Seminary
A Louisville, Kentucky native who strives to live out the lyrics of an old Negro Spiritual, "f I can help somebody as I travel along. If I can help somebody with a word or song. If I can help somebody from doing wrong. My living shall not be in vain." Currently serving as an Associate Minister at Metropolitan Baptist Church, Indianapolis, IN. Has earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Marian University, Indianapolis, IN; Master of Divinity from Morehouse School of Religion at The Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, GA and a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary, Dayton, OH. Favorite Worship Song God Has Smile on Me by Rev. James Cleveland Best Book You've Ever Read "Jesus and the Disinherited" by Howard Thurman Best Advice You've Ever Received Learn to love yourself and always be true to yourself. What one thing needs to change to make the world a better place? The acceptance of diversity and expression of love to all people How do you practice self-care? Every three months, make every effort to take time away from work and just rest and relax. What advice would you give your 18-year-old self? Always listen to individuals who are experienced in the areas of your specialty. Which scripture is the foundation of your life's motto? 2 Corinthians 4:8 - 10 Where do you see the church as an institution in ten years? I see the church returning to the purpose of developing disciples and carrying out the Great Commission, which can be found in Matthew 28:19 and 20 What is your favorite travel destination? Visiting a beach Who/where are you called to serve? I am called to serve people by providing them with words of encouragement and inspiration. 10 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Goal Setting to Create Ministry That Impacts
What are your goals for 2023? If you and your team have not already begun thinking about your goals for the upcoming year, you should begin now. But setting goals is not just coming up with great ideas but thinking about how those ideas align with your vision and mission. When thinking about what you want to accomplish, you should ask two questions: 1. Does it move us toward our vision statement? 2. Is it a part of our mission statement? If you answered no to either question, you should consider whether your vision or mission statements need to be reevaluated or whether the goal is something you should pursue.
Next, look at your goal and identify the impact you intend it to have-begin with the end in mind. What/who do you want to be different due to the initiative, and what activities are needed to achieve that goal? Each activity should have a budget line item, someone responsible for its execution, and a deadline for completion. This will allow you to hold your team objectively accountable and to evaluate the outcome. Creating a team culture focused on setting SMART goals will ensure ideas are vetted for their impact and not moved forward based on who submitted them.
11 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Men After God's Heart
Men after God’s Heart will help you audit the male relationships in your life and challenge you to go beyond your personal convenience to brotherly commitment. By Rev. Issac Hayes, MDiv More now than ever, men must develop meaningful relationships with their spiritual brothers. But our Western culture has prevented men from experiencing healthy male bonding, creating a distorted perception of masculinity. This is not simply my opinion. Healthline Media contributor Raj Chander says there is research suggesting men have difficulty establishing meaningful male relationships. “In the real world,” says Chander, “scientific and anecdotal research suggests many men struggle to maintain friendships compared to their female counterparts, especially as they age past their school days.”[1] Chander offers four reasons why this is the case: Men tend to bond around experiences, not emotions. Men don’t like to share what’s going on in their lives. Men prioritize work and family over friendships. Men may not be neurologically wired for friendships. [1] Raj Chander, “The Bromance Myth: How Men’s Health Suffers from Their Lack of Friends,” Healthline Media, Last updated March 9, 2019, https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/men-badfriendship-harms-health#4-scientific-reasons-men-have-a-hardtime-maintaining-friendships.
Christ’s Mandate for Meaningful Male Relationships Despite the data, Christian men have been mandated by Christ to establish meaningful male relationships. In John 13:34–35, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another.” Jesus gave this commandment to love to a group of men. Its purpose was to bolster their witness of Christ. It is striking to think that even in Jesus’s Ancient Near Eastern culture—which was much more relational than our Western culture—men loving men would stand out. The truth is that we have been conditioned to believe that being in a loving male relationship somehow makes us homosexual. Because of this stigma, we avoid a very important aspect of our spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being: friendship. According to Chander, healthy male relationships lower our blood pressure, decrease our chances of depression, and lengthen our lifespan. What man doesn’t want that? When we understand love to simply be a sincere regard for our brother’s well-being, it strips it of any sexual connotation. If Christ’s love for us is
12 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
nonsexual, then our love for our brothers can be nonsexual. Once that barrier to brotherhood is removed, we are free to enjoy the present of each other’s presence. From Brotherly Love Seminar to Brotherly Love Book A few years ago, I taught a seminar at a men’s retreat entitled 10 Principles of Brotherly Love. I had never witnessed a room full of men with watery eyes over a seminar about healthy male relationships as I did that day. And it is not until this very moment that I’ve come to realize their tears were an expression of what we are missing as men. Think about it for a moment: We join gangs, clubs, and sports teams to find brotherhood because we can experience male bonding in a “safe” environment. Our masculinity is never questioned in those contexts. Yet, in the church, we probably find the loneliest men of all because we neglect to have meaningful relationships with each other—in violation of what Christ commanded. There is no way His command can be obeyed in a 90-minute service, one day a week. The relationship must take place outside the church’s walls, which is where our witness is supposed to be. Thus, I wrote my new book, Men After God’s Heart: 10 Principles of Brotherly Love, because the men in that seminar told me that I needed to “do something” with the material. I also wrote this book, I later realized, because I, too, need healthy male relationships. I don’t subscribe to toxic masculinity, but I believe our culture has placed men between a rock and a hard place of either being lonely and broken or perceived as having same-sex attraction. But this book is a call to live out Christ’s mandate so we may live in the richness of the blessings that result from doing life together with other Christian men.
Men After God’s Heart I titled this book Men After God’s Heart because it speaks to our obedience to the commands of Christ. Jesus’s command is for Christian men to love each other. As I say in the book, “The apostle Paul helps us hammer out a definition from his sermon in Antioch of Pisidia by explaining that a man after God’s heart ‘shall fulfill all [His] will’ (Acts 13:22). According to Paul, who is quoting from 1 Samuel 13:14, the man who does all that God wills is the man who is aligned with the heart of God. The heart of God is not a place of weakness, but strength.” Men After God’s Heart explores Jesus’s final moments with His disciples in the upper room, which I call the Disciples’ Ship. In John chapters 13 through 17, Jesus teaches and illustrates ten principles of love with His disciples that they were to continue in their relationship with each other. The book will help you audit the male relationships in your life and challenge you to go beyond your personal convenience to brotherly commitment. I encourage every man, men’s ministry, or family member of a man to order a copy of this book. It is an in-depth examination of how Christian men relate to each other, including how to handle betrayals, promotions, rivalries, hardships, and much more. It aims to build disciples who live in relationship, grow in fellowship, and engage in stewardship. Rev. Isaac Hayes is the president of Healing of the Soul Ministries and author of Men After God’s Heart: 10 Principles of Brotherly Love. He is also an Assistant Pastor at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, Illinois, and a doctoral student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Follow Rev. Hayes on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @RevIsaacHayes.
13 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Become a bold, Spirit-filled leader God works through ordinary people who step out on faith — people like you! Whether God is calling you to ministry in the local Church or in the world, United has master’s and doctoral degrees to equip you to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Take the next step and discover God’s transforming power.
Follow God’s Call at United Visit us at united.edu/lead admissions@united.edu 800.322.5817
Hospitality Rules: How to be a Great (Virtual) Panelist Want to get invited back to speak at virtual events? Learn the keys to being a great guest, especially when participating in a panel discussion.
As more organizations are using technology to host events, they are seeking subject matter experts and interesting people to feature on their web shows and podcasts; however, to be considered a great guest, you have to bring more than your knowledge to the conversation. Being a great virtual guest can get you more engagements, while failing to deliver can put you on the DNI (do not invite) list. Consider our tips to be a great virtual guest! Show up early. As a guest, you should log in at least ten minutes early to ensure you have a stable connection, the correct link, to meet the other guests, and ask last-minute questions.
Check your background. Virtual backgrounds are all the rage, HOWEVER, if your background looks pixelated, it is wise to find a space with a clean background so that viewers aren't distracted. Provide a short bio that highlights your experience relative to the discussion. You don't have to tell your life's story in the intro, share a link to your website or social media for people who want to learn more about you. Give others time to speak. A panel is not about you but a chance to engage with other subject matter experts. Be concise when responding to the moderator/host and guests. Leave them wanting more!
Agree to disagree. Your job in this space is not to agree with everything that is being said but you were chosen because of your unique position on the topic. It's ok to disagree, respectfully, and not take the comments of others personally, even if directed at you. Always be the bigger person and resist the temptation to appear aggressive. Maintain self control regardless of what's happening around you. Share resources when appropriate that will give audience an opportunity to practice what you are preaching.
15 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Serve Receive BY JANIEL E. YOUNGBLOOD, CPA
It’s volleyball season for my daughters, and I’m excited about God's revelation regarding finances and one aspect of the volleyball game – Serve Receive. For those that follow the game, you know that a team is in serve receive when they are getting ready to receive the serve from the opponent. Once the ball is served, the receiving team runs their offensive play to score the point. The revelation God gave me for church finance leaders is to consider whether you are adequately positioned to receive the financial blessings that God has for your ministry. Are you fiscally ready if someone or an organization wants to bless your ministry with a large lump sum of money - a couple of thousand dollars, hundreds of thousands, or even a million-dollar donation - for example? Do you have things in order and a system to account for and strategically allocate or invest the funds? Can you even think big enough about what ministry opportunities could be financed with such significant resources? On many occasions, my daughter’s undefeated volleyball team has served the ball, and their opponent was not ready to receive it. They were not appropriately positioned or paying attention to receive the serve and set up an offensive play. They lost the opportunity to score a point, and ultimately my daughter’s team won the game.
16 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
Beyond setting up a budget, here are a few key points of preparation to receive financially:
In the chapter that I wrote for the book “#MinistryThatImpacts,” I share a financial lesson that can be taken from blind Bartimaeus and his anticipated encounter with Jesus. He was positioned properly to receive his healing. So how do you financially position your ministry to receive? Whether it’s the big lump sum or the $1 bill that is regularly served in the offering, positioning starts with proper planning. The most basic way to plan financially is with a defined strategic mission, vision, or goal and having a budget that aligns with it. This is like having a game plan or even like having guardrails to direct your money where to go. When you tell your money where to go, you never have to wonder where it went. And now is the perfect time to do it, using the fourth quarter to prepare for 2023. Consider the outlook for the upcoming year. The key is to prepare now. Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Tawana Bryant, my mother, always says, “Preparation is not lost time.”
1. Write the vision, and set strategic goals 2. Establish a gift acceptance policy to specify the types of donations the church will accept beyond cash and cash equivalents 3. Have proper internal controls in place for receiving and recording the funds 4. Issue a contribution statement to the donors 5. Document how the funds are spent The most important preparation is to continue to praise God for the abundance and serve in faith. Cause when you serve the Lord with gladness, you are sure to receive!
Preparation is not lost time. - Tawana Bryant
Janiel Youngblood, CPA, is the owner of Janiel Youngblood & Associates, LLC, a church financial consulting firm. Contact her at: www.janielyoungbloodassociates.com Follow her on Facebook or Instagram @janielyoungbloodassociates
17 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
STAY TUNED FOR MORE DETAILS!
#RETHINKTV
COMING JANUARY 2023
Rethinking Innovation and Technology BY RJ STEVENSON I am SUPER EXCITED!!!! Can't you tell? I am expectant about what God is doing in this season!!! He's brought us a mighty long way from 2020! Isn't it funny (now - in retrospect) how God completely flipped the script on us!?! We were all headed into 2020 with our corny "vision" church themes for the new year (insert laugh here), and God says, " You ain't seen nothing yet!" In a matter of hours, our world was shut down. The entire NBA season was halted mid-game, banks sent the tellers home, families were forced to be in the house all at the same time, and we struggled to do church with no physical congregation for TWO WHOLE YEARS!!!! Then, Rethinking Church was birthed, and the world got a dose of LaKesha Womack! Maaaaaan… did she ever get us all together in an incredible way! We've since developed as a whole community of ministry superheroes, everybody with their specialized superpowers (thumbs down to the spandex, though). We've continued to evolve into something amazing, and it's marvelous in our eyes! I've been tapped as the village's Tech Geek for Jesus! That's a pretty hefty name to embrace because I'm certain there are much geekier people among us whose shoes I am unworthy to unlace, unbuckle, zip, or even slide into (for the Crocs community), but I'll do my best to provide strategies that can work for different ministry scenarios. I'll get some help along the way from some real-life geeks who have actually developed the innovation and technology - I'm just good at talking about it in a way that not-so-geeky people can understand!
19 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
But before we start down this slippery silicone slope of systematic sustainability, let me get one thing straight. Though I am engulfed in tech daily in various industries, I have learned that you can only appreciate the capacity of innovation and technology if you have a relationship with God! Neo, I know you thought you were meeting Morpheus and that the Oracle was the ticket to success. You thought your new folding Android made you amazing, or your iPhone 14 PRO made you "Apple-stolic" (talk about corny), or somewhere in your 10 Terabyte temple area, you thought your IMAG with the newest Pro-Presenter version would increase your VIP status in the "Heavenly Geek Squad," but we have yet to see the architecture of a device that can create a full-scale working model of the earth in 6 days! We have machines that can help us breathe, but not one person has ever been able to explain how what we breathe works to sustain dust and keep its heart pumping red and blue blood into various tubes as images are reflected through lenses that trigger reactions sent lightning fast through waves in our medulla oblongata! HE is the God of Creation and Innovation! He caused water to flow from a rock, made a GPS out of clouds and fire, showed up in a bush on fire but not burning, made a big fish swallow Jonah but not digest him, and gave each and every one of us a unique identifier on each finger and toe!!! Ain't He GOOD!!!! Here's a gentle reminder that technology is only used to apply concepts more efficiently! It is NOT going to teach you the who, what, where, why, when, or how to do effective ministry! Now that you've upgraded your cameras and replaced your PCs with MACs, what would you do if God broke the internet? What could you buy to replace the "likes and follows" that some think validates good ministry? Are you as vigilant without the technology as you are with it? Would you still be committed to "reaching the masses" if social media didn't make it convenient?
If you don't understand classical evangelism methods that include talking to people and using a paper Bible, then blasting out a text campaign isn't going to help you grow! If you've never submitted yourself to a discipleship process, an all-in-one app may help you take attendance, but it will NOT make true disciple-makers! Installing line-array speakers, LED screens, motion lights, and hazers will produce an engaging visual environment, but they'll only see Jesus if there's a ministry available after the lights are turned off! I'm excited about sharing new trends in tech and innovation. We're here to win souls! Our job is to fulfill the Great Commission and live up to the commandments! I'm not a proponent of ring pop ministry in a Tiffany box! I'm excited about what God is doing this season and look forward to what God is going to do next, but let's never forget how we got here. Let's continue teaching new generations where to find Malachi in a paper Bible. With the steady decline in attention span, scripture memorization has also plummeted. If we're studying to hide the Word of God in our hearts, we should be able to find it by flipping pages as well as scrolling. Imagine, before the Guttenburg printing press, we'd only be able to recite what we've remembered! As great as technology and innovation can be, we must not forget the goal of using new methods to win souls! Now we're Rethinking Church… for real!
RJ Stevenson is a trailblazer in music, media, and ministry. With over 20 years in the creative industry, he is a highly acclaimed innovator of ministry in the marketplace. His insights on media technology helped numerous churches and ministries pivot during the global pandemic. Stevenson currently resides in Tampa, FL, and travels globally, spreading the gospel of Christ... to Infinity... and Beyond! For more information, visit www.rjstevenson.com! 20 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
WWW.WOMACKCG.COM
A R E Y O U I N T E R E S T E D I N W O R K IN G W IT H R E V . L A K E S H A W O M A CK TO R E T H I N K H O W Y O U R C H U R C H / M IN IS T R Y E N G A G E S W IT H Y O U R C O N G R E G A T I O N A N D C O M M U N IT Y ? S C H E D U L E A C O M P L I M ENTA R Y C O N S U L T A T I O N T O L E A R N M O R E A B O U T H E R E X E C U T IV E CO A CH I NG F O R L E A D E R S A N D S T R A T E G IC P L A N N IN G F O R O R G A N IZ A TI O NS .
WE FOCUS ON CREATING SOLUTIONS FOR THE ISSUES YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH!
Do one thing for yourself each day! Whether reading a chapter of a book, enjoying a walk outside, or journaling; do something for yourself that makes you happy. Practicing self-care is something you should do year-round, but it is essential during the holidays when our stress levels can be heightened. From entertaining family and friends to deciding where and how to spend your time, it can be easy to forget about yourself. Try these tips to practice self-care Physical: it can be tempting to overindulge in your favorite foods during the holiday, don't beat yourself up but try to balance it by sticking to your exercise routine or taking walks after heavy meals Emotional: manage your stress by scheduling an additional session with your therapist or journaling through difficult emotions Social: you don't have to be everywhere all of the time; decide which events are most important for you to attend and plan time between events to recharge Spiritual: whatever your spiritual practices are, don't neglect them during the holidays because other things are taking over your schedule; keep your appointments with yourself Personal: set goals and stick with them; keep them simple so you can focus on being instead of doing Space: a clean space helps to regulate the mind, but cleaning might get overwhelming, consider budgeting for a cleaner to come in and help, especially if you are hosting a big event; you don't have to do everything yourself Financial: set a budget and stick to it so that you don't have regrets after the holidays or have to overwork in the new year to cover the splurges Work: plan breaks to spend time with family and friends; even if you can't take a whole day off, consider planning coffee or meal dates to catch up 22 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
BUSINESS SKILLS
FOR FAITH-BASED LEADERS
www.MinistryBusinessAcademy.com
7 Strategies to Minister to a Changing Congregation
2
3 1
Develop a clear vision for the future of your church/ministry and communicate it with your leaders so that everyone understands where you are and where you are going.
Encourage agility within your leadership team. Often when leaders are rigid, they are not able to adapt to the change desired by the congregation.
Determine whether your current leadership style fits the needs of your congregation. How we lead should be responsive to who we are leading.
25 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
4
Keep one foot outside the church to understand how things are changing in the economy and community so that your ministries can speak directly to those issues.
5
6
7
Assess your demographics each year with a church wide survey to understand who is in your congregation and what may have changed in their lives.
Invest in professional development for your leadership team to ensure they understand how to effectively communicate and lead the people in your congregation and community.
Follow up with your leadership team quarterly to assess what is working and what can be improved. Always look for methods to improve.
It's hard to lead when you don't have direction. 26 | MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
This book will equip you as a frontline worker, supervisor, department manager, or high-level executive. You can learn how to achieve your destiny by helping others to achieve theirs. Servant leadership coupled with life-long learning makes this book a literal training manual for effective personal, team, and organizational leadership. Dr. John Jackson President, William Jessup University, Rocklin, California
Rev. LaKesha's latest book is now available on Amazon. This workbook is the second edition of the Rethinking Church series. The first edition, 9 Strategies to Engage Congregations and Communities, was written prepandemic. Since 2020, ministry models have shifted to include virtual options and to become more considerate of how we manage people's time. I encourage you to get copies of this workbook for your leadership team and to work through each of the sections so that you can assess the needs of your congregation and community and develop strategies that can be implemented for your strategic growth.
Home for the Holidays Be mindful of your members' family visiting for the holidays! It can be tempting to want to create more ministry activities during the holidays when we have (in theory) more time to serve our communities; however, we must be mindful of those whom we expect to be the servers because they also want to spend time with their families during the holidays. Consider these three strategies when planning your holiday ministry activities. Host family fellowship events to get to know your member's families. We often expect our members to reach out to their families for donations to our various events throughout the year, but they often don't have a connection to the church or ministry. Consider hosting a holiday event for your members and encourage them to bring the family along. The goal is not to pitch them but to build a relationship and help them establish a connection with the work you would like them to help fund. Don't forget the kids! We often plan activities for the underserved kids of our community but don't forget to plan some fun activities for the kids in the church that don't involve them memorizing a script. Some families may have kids visiting who don't have cousins to play with and can feel left out if they don't have a part in the holiday play. Provide opportunities for the kids to build relationships with each other. Be mindful of time. Whatever you are planning, consider that this is one of the first years many families will spend together since the pandemic began. Ensure you have buy-in from your congregation on the activities you are planning so that your team doesn't end up frustrated because of a lack of participation. 28| MINISTRY MATTERS MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
DONATIONS TO THE RETHINKING CHURCH FOUNDATION SUPPORT OUR GRANTS FOR INNOVATIVE MINISTRY PROJECTS!
Give $5 on the 5th Visit RethinkingChurchFoundation.org
The Rethinking Church Foundation is a registered 501(c)3 organization with Internal Revenue Service. Your gifts are tax-deductible and a statement will be provided at the end of the year.
November/December Issue Ministry Matters Magazine is published by Rethinking Church Strategies. The social impact community provides resources for faith-based leaders to rethink how they engage with the communities and congregations to create ministries that impact. Publisher Rethinking Church Strategies Editor-in-Chief LaKesha Womack Associate Editor Yasika Bigham Contributors Rev. Issac Hayes, MDiv RJ Stevenson Janiel E. Youngblood, CPA Publication Design Ministry Matters Media Services Editorial Send story ideas and comments to articles@ministrymattersmagazine.com Advertising rethinkingchurch.square.site advertising@ministrymattersmagazine.com Copyright 2022 Rethinking Church Strategies LLC No part of this publication may be reproduced without Rethinking Church Strategies's written consent. Ministry Matters Magazine does not necessarily endorse the views and perceptions of contributors and advertisers.
Coming January/February 2023 The Economics of Now Our next issue will focus on the economic conditions that affect ministry and will provide resources to assist leaders in creating economic stability within their congregations and communities! Do you want to be featured in our upcoming issue? Scan the QR Code to answer the question and your response could be featured in the upcoming issue. https://bit.ly/3gKySWL
HOW HAS THE ECONOMY, NEGATIVELY OR POSITIVELY, IMPACTED YOUR CHURCH/ MINISTRY?
Building relationships and finding support to do ministry can often be challenging. Rethinking Church Strategies is launching virtual chapters within our Facebook group so that you can connect locally with members to share resources, partner on upcoming events, and plan meet-ups! Visit our Facebook page to join one of the first five chapters.
CHARLOTTE NC ATLANTA GA MONTGOMERY AL NEW YORK NY CHICAGO IL More chapters will be added as our community continues to grow.
Join Now!
@rethinkingchurch